Confidential Medical Records for Sale (?)

I came across this whilst doing the rounds on the online Sunday papers.

It's from the Daily Fail, which isn't a great news source and they are sensationalist at best, but still a disturbing idea none the less.

A secret plan to sell confidential medical records to private companies for as little as £1 has been drawn up by officials. From next month, GPs will start sending detailed NHS patient records to a central database for the first time under the new General Practice Extraction Service (GPES). Yet doctors do not have to tell patients about the project, described by campaigners as an ‘unprecedented threat’ to medical confidentiality.

Article

Mr Hunt believes that allowing universities and private groups access health information easier will attract pharmaceutical companies and life sciences firms to the UK.

Follow the money! I'm sure many insurance companies will benefit from this greatly aswell.

Sensitive medical information will be included – for example whether a patient suffers from a condition such as cancer, heart disease or depression – as well as lifestyle information such as alcohol consumption. Names and addresses will not be uploaded, but ‘patient identifiable data’ including date of birth, postcode, gender and ethnicity will. Using publicly available records such as electoral rolls – which contain postcode and dates of birth information – malicious individuals could then identify who the patient records belong to.

Hmmmm!

This is incredibly concerning,

One immediate thing that popped into my head when reading this, was people going to job interviews and the possibility of employers being able to pull up your medical history to see if you are fit for the job. It doesn't state that would be the case, but this is a slippery slope.

This is being used to support medical reserach and gather epidemiological data and all information is striped of indentifying information (ie. name of patient, exact adress and so on)

Originally posted by OtherSideOfTheCoin
This is being used to support medical reserach and gather epidemiological data and all information is striped of indentifying information (ie. name of patient, exact adress and so on)

Uh-huh,

It's a slippery slope.

As the saying goes; "The road to hell is paved with good intentions"

reply to post by skitzspiricy


Nice saying there,

but....

its not like this is going to turn into a public naming and shaming of drug adicts

its just a way to streamline medical research, and improve epidemological information.

Originally posted by OtherSideOfTheCoin
reply to post by skitzspiricy

 

Nice saying there,

but....

its not like this is going to turn into a public naming and shaming of drug adicts

its just a way to streamline medical research, and improve epidemological information.

Wow, so you really see absolutely nothing wrong with this?

Another thing that is quite concerning, is we cannot even get our own medical records for less then £10, some charging upto £50.

Yet other bodies can purchase them for £1.

they need to strip the license of every doctor who would even consider doing such an act.
Its a total violation of a patients rights of confidentiality and privacy .
not surprised though as most doctors these days have sold their souls to big pharma and the insurance companies .. disgraces to the profession.

reply to post by skitzspiricy


"From next month, GPs will start sending detailed NHS patient records to a central database for the first time under the new General Practice Extraction Service (GPES)."

Is this completely mandatory? Can people not verbally instruct their GPs not to supply or sell there records?

Just wondering.